If you’re a U.S. company, your chances of finding the right
international business partner greatly increases at a trade show that has been
selected as a venue for the International
Buyer Program. You’ll not only meet more international buyers,
representatives and distributors, but your products and services can be listed
in the Export Interest Directory distributed to all international visitors to
the show. In addition to assistance from our experienced U.S. Commercial
Service staff, you will also have access to an on-site International Business Center,
where your company can meet privately with prospective international buyers,
sales representatives and business partners.

That’s why I am pleased to announce the 30 U.S. trade shows in 2013 to which the International Buyer Program (IBP) will
bring prospective international buyers. Thanks to our rigorous competitive
selection process, I am confident these 30
trade shows will provide excellent B2B matchmaking venues for U.S.
companies looking to expand their international sales to new markets, or to
start exporting.

The advantage of the IBP versus other B2B matchmaking
service offerings is it enables U.S. companies to meet a breadth of
pre-screened prospective buyers from around the world all in one domestic
venue. In fact, last year the IBP recruited nearly 13,500 prospective buyers
from international markets to come to U.S. trade events to meet U.S.
exporters. As a result, the IBP generated over $900 million in exports in
2011–a 10 percent increase over 2010. Over 49 percent of these successes were
by U.S. firms that exported to a new market. There are still over 25 trade shows for remaining
in 2012. For those U.S. companies planning to
exhibit at any of these shows, the IBP is a great way to maximize your trade
show investment.

The International
Buyer Program is a joint government-industry effort designed to increase
U.S. export sales by promoting international attendance at major U.S. industry
exhibitions. The IBP provides practical, hands-on assistance to U.S. exhibitors
interested in exporting and making contacts with prospective overseas trade
partners. This assistance includes export counseling, marketing analysis, and
matchmaking services. The IBP is an important part of our implementation
of the Obama administration’s National Export
Initiative which aims to double the value of U.S. exports over the next
five years.